


Walk Into Mordor

by GreyFountain



Series: Secret Agent Elve Drabbles [3]
Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-10
Updated: 2014-10-10
Packaged: 2018-02-20 14:23:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2432024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyFountain/pseuds/GreyFountain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ecthelion remembers his stay in Mordor</p>
            </blockquote>





	Walk Into Mordor

Walk Into Mordor

 

Mordor?

 

That fabled land of the Dark Lord, Sauron, Morgoth’s right hand and enemy to all elves. Of course I had heard of Mordor as an elfling in the First Age. It was created by Morgoth, and was a land known for its volcanic eruptions and its lack of any living thing. No animals, no plants, nothing. I could not imagine a land so devastated. And it was a perfect place to build a fortress. It had natural defenses of mountains on three sides, and the Morannon, the Black Gates built by Lord Sauron himself. 

 

Lord Sauron did not settle there until well into the Second Age. I was not around at the time. I died in the First Age. But I have been re-made and now live in the Third Age. Who am I? And why was I going to Mordor? You may well ask. My name is Ecthelion, but that is not important. I work for the Valar as a secret agent and I was given the task of going to Mordor to “live” with Sauron. And to do what? To be his prisoner? To be tortured in his dungeons? I didn’t know. Lord Manwe didn’t give any specific directions. He just said go. And so I did.

 

I have heard it said, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. The great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire, ash, and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume." 

 

But there I was walking into Mordor, with those dark words in my head and no specific instructions. It was a journey of some 1300 hundred miles from Rivendell to the Morannon, the Black Gates. I had been on the road for a little more than two months and as I drew closer to that black land those words rang loudly in my head. The land for the most part was indeed barren and I saw all manner of destruction. There had been massive mudslides where there was no vegetation to keep the soil in place. There were remains of human settlements, destroyed by orcs I supposed. And to my surprise there were orchards along the way, and fields of growing things. Well, Lord Sauron had to feed his troops something. 

 

I have now been in Mordor for 38 years and I have to tell you it is nothing like I expected. I did spend almost 30 of those years in the dungeons and in the pit. I shudder as I remember those days and nights of torture and abuse. But that all changed when I escaped from the orcs and made my way up to the tower. There I discovered Lord Sauron’s private apartments, and as he was out on one of his many trips, I took full advantage of what I found. There was a bath and a big lovely soft clean bed. It had been so long since I had been clean I couldn’t resist. The bath was divine. Just sitting and soaking in that soothing hot water loosened and relaxed my bone-wary muscles. And the sweet-smelling jasmine soap was so enticing and alluring it almost sang to me. I scrubbed myself with it, and in the process scrubbed off years of grime. By the time I was done I was so relaxed I could hardly move. Afterward I lay down on the big bed, meaning to just rest for a moment. But my eyes grew heavy as I sank into its soft comfortable depths and made the mistake of falling asleep. It shouldn’t have mattered. I had not counted on Lord Sauron returning for at least another week. I guess I miscalculated. He found me there the next morning, like Goldilocks he said. I laugh now at the memory. Goldilocks is a children’s tale from Far Harad. But she escaped her captors. I did not. I became Lord Sauron’s lover instead. 

 

It is not something I regret no matter what you may think of me. My Lord Sauron is very good to me, when he is in a good mood. And today he is in a wonderful and generous mood, for today is my 500th Begetting Day and today we are celebrating. Cook made us a fabulous meal of curried lamb and fresh steamed vegetables. And he made an Apple Cake with real sugar, not honey. Lord Sauron gave me a beautiful arm band made of gold and set with black diamonds, my favorite stone. Afterwards we spent the afternoon making love. Lord Sauron is a wonderful lover, and as I lay beside him now looking at the stars of Arda I have no regrets. Who could have known I would find beauty in the black and devastated land of Mordor?


End file.
